Physicists are explorers of the physical universe seeking to understand the fundamental behavior of nature from elementary particles to galaxies.

Physics, as a natural science, is a core component of a liberal education, and learning science requires the development and application of critical thinking skills to the natural and man-made world. The members of the physics department are devoted to learning and teaching about the ways in which the physical aspects of our existence can be understood and shaped by qualitative and quantitative reasoning within the framework of physics, the foundation of the natural sciences.

The physics department will contribute to an extraordinary liberal education experience for faculty and students by continually developing courses, programs, research experiences, and outreach activities to foster the learning of physics.

The Department of Physics offers a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) with a major in physics. This program engages students in observation, experimentation, and theoretical study of the various phenomena of nature. The department offers:

Department Growth: Our department continues to grow and we expect this growth to continue. The number of physics majors also have grown in recent years. Many of our recent physics graduates are pursuing advanced degrees (e.g. Ph.D) in physics. Recent AIP report cited physics department of GVSU as being one of the top five universities in Michigan in terms of the number of physics graduates.

Outreach: Faculty and students participate in a variety of physics outreach activities throughout the year to promote science education in Michigan and especially to create an interest in physics among high school students .

We are looking for interested and motivated students who are enthusiastic about physics and who want to pursue an undergraduate degree in physics. Explore our website for details.

If you are interested please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

"Being a part of GVSU physics program has been an amazing experience. The challenging classes always kept me on my toes, and the close-knit department will always be like family to me. I would not trade my time with the physics department for anything!"